YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Northern Kentucky volleyball recorded its second sweep of the Horizon League slate on Wednesday evening, taking down Youngstown State on the road, 25-22, 25-19, 25-13. With the win, the Norse move to 12-4 overall and 4-1 in league play while the Penguins dip to 7-11 (1-4 HL).
First Set Summary
- NKU came out with a balanced attack in the opening set, hitting .286 as a team with four kills each from Anna Brinkmann, Haley Libs and Bailey Western.
- Youngstown State held pace with the Norse until the 20-20 point, when the Norse went on a four-point run to reach set point. NKU had a pair of hitting errors, but Libs finished it off at 25-22.
- Ashton Terrill started out with a strong defensive set, picking up eight digs against the Penguins.
Second Set Summary
- Following a valiant run by Youngstown State halfway through the set, NKU used a quartet of Penguin errors to pull ahead, 18-13. NKU kept Youngstown State at a comfortable distance for the remainder of the set, ending the frame on a 5-1 run.
- The Penguins were held to .042 hitting in the second set and were allowed just eight kills in the frame thanks to staunch defense by Terrill with 10 digs and Libs, Shelby Olsen and Laura Crawford with five apiece.
Third Set Summary
- The Norse took control of the third set early on, going up 10-2 after Libs served up a pair of aces immediately following a YSU timeout. Another flurry of miscues allowed NKU to take a 22-11 lead and the Norse finished off the set with kills from Natalie Hardig and Kaelin Gentile before Gentile and Western came up with a block on match point.
- Youngstown State had just six kills and hit -.057, while the Norse connected at a .222 clip. Hardig put away five kills on seven swings with no errors, and Libs added three kills and five digs.
Norse Notes
- Libs had her eighth double-double in a row with a match-high 13 kills to go with 11 digs. She hit at a .243 clip from the left pin and also led the team with a pair of aces.
- Olsen also posted a double-double with 20 assists and 15 digs.
- Terrill had 21 digs in the sweep, and Crawford rounded out the double-digit dig performances with 10 scoops.
- NKU's middles performed well with Western recording eight kills at a .368 clip to go with three blocks, while Hardig added seven kills on 16 swings.
- The Norse hit .215 and held Youngstown State to a .079 hitting percentage, marking the third time this season that an opponent has been held under .100.
- NKU also out-dug the Penguins, 69-62, but YSU had a 9.0-7.0 edge in blocking.
- The Norse remain undefeated in the all-time series against the Penguins, 7-0, with four of those wins coming by way of a sweep.
Up Next
- NKU returns home this weekend for a Sunday matinee against UIC at 2 p.m. on Oct. 7. The match will serve as Alumnae Day and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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